1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of mobile communication, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for automatic image management, in which a mobile platform with a camera function automatically manages images. The mobile phones may includes, for example, mobile phones with a camera function and smart phones and handheld devices with a camera, software desktop applications, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
PCT patent publication No. WO/2005/055585 entitled “Camera for Recording of an Image Sequence” describes a camera that can take a picture instantly upon activating a shutter release button. This camera also includes a buffer storage storing a plurality of pictures. The plurality of pictures contains pictures taken before as well as after the traditionally taken picture. This provides the user with an option of reviewing the pictures taken at the instant of activation of the shutter release button in the plurality of pictures and selecting one or more preferred pictures to be stored in a non-volatile memory of the camera.
The above PCT Publication patent discloses a method of taking pictures with a camera, which includes taking and storing, substantially continuously, a first plurality of pictures independently of an activation of the activation means during a camera preview; taking and storing a picture (a user-selected image) in a storage means (a main memory) upon the activation of the activation means; taking and storing a second plurality of pictures (after the user-selected image) in response to the activation of the activation means; displaying the picture taken upon activation of said activation means and stored in said storage means on the display means; in response to a user input, displaying pictures from the first and second plurality of pictures on the display means; providing the user with the option to choose a picture in the first (preview images) or in the second (post-view images) plurality of pictures to be stored in the storage means; and if the user chooses a picture from the first or the second plurality of pictures to be stored in the storage means, storing the chosen picture in the storage means.
A user can operate of the camera as follows: When he/she turns on the camera so that the view finder is active, e.g. by activating a button to activate the functions of the camera, the camera begins storing a certain number of pictures, i.e. preview images with full resolution in a buffer memory, i.e. the second storage means. This preferably is a circular buffer memory, so that whenever the buffer memory is full, the oldest pictures are substituted in the memory by recent pictures. By substituting pictures in the buffer memory by newer pictures, excessive filling of the storage means can be avoided. Whenever the user activates the activation means, e.g. presses a shutter release button, a picture corresponding to a user-selected image is taken and stored in the first storage means. This picture can be shown to the user on the display of the camera, either automatically or by user demand.
Thus, the user experiences a possible “going back in time” in relation to the moment of activation of the activation means, and pictures from before the moment of activation of the activation means, as well as pictures from after the moment of activation, are stored in the camera and can be shown to the user and be kept.
The camera would continue to store for instance 25 more pictures after the activation of the activation means, so that the circular buffer stores 25 pictures from before and 25 pictures from after the activation of the activation means, whereof the pictures taken before the activation of the activation means correspond to the first plurality of pictures and the pictures taken after said activation correspond to the second plurality of pictures. The number of pictures in the first and second pluralities need not be equal. The counter value in the buffer register would contain the information of which indices correspond to which pictures as well as where the boundary in the circular buffer between pictures taken before and after activation of the activation means is to be found.
However, the described mobile platform with the camera has the following problems
1. Frequently a user has initiated a camera application to perform a picture-taking activity, video recording, etc., but sometimes there is a chance that he forgets to take a picture or forgets to Record video and close the camera (accidentally or voluntarily).
2. In the mobile platform there are many applications that make use of the camera, but the “take picture” application is the only explicit means to store a still image. The user may want to record serially the newest ‘n’ still images simultaneously when he is using other applications such as Video Telephony (hereinafter, “VT”), video recording, Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia System (IMS) Video Sharing, etc.
3. In the mobile platform there are many applications that make use of the camera and the user often switches among these applications and the user cannot continue recording serially the newest ‘n’ Images when the user switches from one camera application to another.
4. While the user records a sequence of still images he cannot pause serially recording still images for a particular interval of time, and resume the recording later.
The user has started the camera to serially capture still images, and suddenly a VT call occurs, but the user feels that the current newest ‘n’ still images available in the buffer are very important and wants the still images for a later reviewing, but further does not want the images to be overwritten and still carry on with VT immediately.
5. Some times it so happens that the user feels that the currently available images in the buffer is very important to him and wants to review the newest ‘n’ images available in the buffer and also save the images of his choice.
6. In some cases the user does not want the current ‘n’ still images available in the buffer to be overwritten and wants the still images for later reviewing, i.e., the user intends to continue the camera application without stopping the camera or blocking the viewfinder. Also, the user may want to start recording a fresh set of a sequence of the “newest n” still images without interrupting the camera/viewfinder.
7. The user starts a camera preview and after sometime, e.g., after few minutes, wants to take a picture, but, unfortunately, if the battery suddenly goes down at this instant, then the picture-taking application is closed. Hence the user cannot take the picture, even though the moment to be captured is on the viewfinder, due to the low battery.
8. The user starts the camera preview and selects a multi-shot option to get next “m” still images. In a conventional technique, the user may however miss the right moment to start the multi-shot capturing and, because of this, may not get exact images he wanted.
9. It is not possible to get the newest ‘n’ still images when the user has initiated the camera by applications such as IMS video sharing/video telephony, video recording and simultaneously save the currently available ‘n’ images in the buffer during anytime the user wishes.
In the mobile platform there are many applications, which make use of the camera, but the ‘take picture’ application is the only explicit means to take a photograph.